WHO: Nigeria is an Ebola Free Zone

Rui Gama Vas says Nigeria’s response was a spectacular success story

Monday 20th October 2014

The WHO has declared Nigeria an Ebola-free zone as it has been over six weeks without any cases in the country.

Nigeria temporarily diverted the efforts of its polio vaccination teams to combat the initial outbreak of the disease. The effect of which meant that their task-force consisted of highly trained and effective medical staff.

Liberian Diplomat Rui Gama Vas said Nigeria had been a “spectacular success story” in this regard.

Senegal was officially declared Ebola free on Friday. However Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone are still struggling to bring the outbreak under control.

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf recently appealed for an end to theorising and a beginning of action to combat the outbreak. She added “The damage it is causing in West Africa, whether in public health, the economy or within communities… is already reverberating throughout the region and across the world.

The current death toll of this current outbreak of the disease currently stands at over 4,500. This figure accounts for around 70% of all total infections.